London to Paris?
Dec 28th, 2005, 09:37 AM
#2
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Chunnel is best if you don't want to spend your time travelling and want to easiest way to get to Paris. That would be my first choice.
I guess it depends if you really really want to see the cliffs of dover as to whether you want to spend the extra time on the ferry and are prepared to sacrifice time in Paris? Obviously, the ferry doesn't drop you in the middle of Paris so you have to factor in extra travel time to get there.
Plane is a hassle as you have to go to the airport, go through all the airport rigmarole and ultimately I don't think the time saving is that big.
It's the chunnel for me.
Hope that helps.
I guess it depends if you really really want to see the cliffs of dover as to whether you want to spend the extra time on the ferry and are prepared to sacrifice time in Paris? Obviously, the ferry doesn't drop you in the middle of Paris so you have to factor in extra travel time to get there.
Plane is a hassle as you have to go to the airport, go through all the airport rigmarole and ultimately I don't think the time saving is that big.
It's the chunnel for me.
Hope that helps.
Dec 28th, 2005, 11:39 AM
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I've done them all but Eurostar, including Hovercraft (which may or may not exist but was superior to the ferry). I by far prefer the train for time purposes. The plane is not faster because of all the time flying takes outside of the actual flight.
I hated the ferry, it takes forever and can get choppy. Seeing the white cliffs of Dover was not that big a thrill to me to make it worth the time, because you have to take the train on either end and get between the two.
I hated the ferry, it takes forever and can get choppy. Seeing the white cliffs of Dover was not that big a thrill to me to make it worth the time, because you have to take the train on either end and get between the two.
Dec 28th, 2005, 11:48 AM
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Sufrergirl, you are only underground for about 20 minutes. I've often been reading and not even noticed we'd been thru the tunnel already!
I've done all of the options, except bus, including Hovercraft, and would take the eurostar over any of them. In fact , I hated the Hovercraft...it was like being sealed in a big coffin!
I've done all of the options, except bus, including Hovercraft, and would take the eurostar over any of them. In fact , I hated the Hovercraft...it was like being sealed in a big coffin!
Dec 28th, 2005, 11:52 AM
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I took a small plane once and it was a horrid experience. The skies were so turbulent, people were either sick or praying (not kidding). Even if a smooth flight, you will have CDG airport to deal with, yuck! I recommend the Eurostar line for ease and speed and am glad I did it the last visit.
Dec 28th, 2005, 12:01 PM
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If you take Eurostar, you end at Gare du Nord. It won't take that long to get to where you're staying, but it's still time that has to be considered in the total estimate, as you have to also consider getting to Waterloo Station in London, check-in, etc. Just as you have to consider time to get to and from the London and Paris airports. With all of those considerations, I suspect there's not a huge difference door-to-door.
Dec 28th, 2005, 12:06 PM
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The new high-speed catamarans are infinitely more comfortable than the old displacement vessels or Hovercraft ever were. We rode Condor from Jersey to Guernsey last summer, and there was hardly any sensation of moving at all. The Dover-Calais trip takes 40 minutes.
If the White Cliffs is something you want to do, don't be daunted by the logistics. It's an unforgettable sight.
If the White Cliffs is something you want to do, don't be daunted by the logistics. It's an unforgettable sight.
Dec 28th, 2005, 01:27 PM
#12
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There are currently no fast catamarans between Dover and Calais. Hoverspeed closed their service in November. The hovercraft ceased several years ago. The train journey is certainly the fastest, taking 2 hours 35 minutes, but your choice depends on all kinds of factors. I did the journey on Tuesday via Calais and Dover because I enjoy travelling by sea, but I wasn't happy that trains from Dover to London were disrupted by snow: the total journey time was about 12 hours.
Dec 28th, 2005, 10:43 PM
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There are no small planes between Heathrow and Paris.
The closest airport to central London, though, is London City (LCY), now connected to the tube (though the line concerned, the DLR, claims some minor autonomy from the rest of the tube system). Planes here (many to Paris) are all STOL: though small, they all feel like real planes. Checkin is typically 10 mins, and the desks are 5 mins walk max from the tube. Via LCY, flying London-Paris can be quicker than the train.
The whingeing about CDG that dominates this board is surreal and silly. Changing planes there can be a pain (though only if you've not allowed enough time): but just flying in or out of the airport is no different from any other large airport (though the food is bizarrely lousy by the standards of most major airports in the English-speaking world). CDG is a great deal more pleasant to use, and easier to get into and out of town from, than JFK or LAX for example.
Looking at the White Cliffs and moaning about how they look is like pointing out (rightly) that the Statue of Liberty is a rotten bit of sculpture. The White Cliffs aren't meant to be a piece of beautiful countryside: they're the visible symbol of freedom from the centuries of nonsense that keep on threatening to overwhelm us from the other side of the Channel.
They're also the only place in the world where, in living memory, only-too-easily imagined, and massively overwhelming, horror has tried to take on basic human decency and been sent home, mortally wounded. Whether they're attractive scenery or not (and they're a lot prettier than any other national shrine I've ever seen) is to miss the point by several light years.
The closest airport to central London, though, is London City (LCY), now connected to the tube (though the line concerned, the DLR, claims some minor autonomy from the rest of the tube system). Planes here (many to Paris) are all STOL: though small, they all feel like real planes. Checkin is typically 10 mins, and the desks are 5 mins walk max from the tube. Via LCY, flying London-Paris can be quicker than the train.
The whingeing about CDG that dominates this board is surreal and silly. Changing planes there can be a pain (though only if you've not allowed enough time): but just flying in or out of the airport is no different from any other large airport (though the food is bizarrely lousy by the standards of most major airports in the English-speaking world). CDG is a great deal more pleasant to use, and easier to get into and out of town from, than JFK or LAX for example.
Looking at the White Cliffs and moaning about how they look is like pointing out (rightly) that the Statue of Liberty is a rotten bit of sculpture. The White Cliffs aren't meant to be a piece of beautiful countryside: they're the visible symbol of freedom from the centuries of nonsense that keep on threatening to overwhelm us from the other side of the Channel.
They're also the only place in the world where, in living memory, only-too-easily imagined, and massively overwhelming, horror has tried to take on basic human decency and been sent home, mortally wounded. Whether they're attractive scenery or not (and they're a lot prettier than any other national shrine I've ever seen) is to miss the point by several light years.
Dec 28th, 2005, 11:34 PM
#14
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On various occasions I have taken the ferry from Dover to Calais, flown British Airways from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle, and taken the Eurostar from Waterloo station to Gare du Nord.
While all three methods got me to my destination, I would choose the Eurostar since it seems to be the most convenient and dependable.
Woody
While all three methods got me to my destination, I would choose the Eurostar since it seems to be the most convenient and dependable.
Woody
Dec 29th, 2005, 11:02 AM
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Don't you love it when flanneruk gets in a "Cry God for Harry, England and St. George!" mode? Historian, sculpture expert, food critic...
And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew.
And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew.
